Gyllenhaal Respects Parents’ Decision To Divorce
By WENNWednesday, April 14, 2010
Actor JAKE GYLLENHAAL has come to terms with his parents’ divorce after 29 years of marriage, insisting he respects their “courage” for making such a difficult decision.
Director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner finalised their split last year (09).
The Brokeback Mountain star admits he was devastated when his mum and dad broke the news to him and his actress sister Maggie Gyllenhaal, but he has learned to accept the divorce and look to a “positive” future.
He tells GQ magazine, “(Divorce can) bring out the truth and honesty in a relationship, and that’s greatly relieving to everyone - that people can kind of move and change and grow. And so, in some ways, as much pain as there is, there’s also a positive outlook on it. And thinking, you know, some relationships last a lifetime, and some relationships don’t.
“I think it takes a lot of courage for my parents to make the decision that they made, and I trust both of them and their outlook on life. They’re wonderful parents to me and my sister.”
But Gyllenhaal, who split from girlfriend Reese Witherspoon in December (09), insists his parents’ separation has not affected his own views on marriage - because he is fully aware that no union can be drama-free.
He adds, “I think any successful marriage, even if it hasn’t lasted for a lifetime, will create a sense of an ideal. But I don’t have a fantasy. There’s not a fantasy. I know it’s messy.”
